


Safelight

by flippedstargirl



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 06:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2956520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flippedstargirl/pseuds/flippedstargirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Katniss talks to Peeta Mellark is under the red glow of the darkroom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safelight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Prompts in Panem Round Six: Red

**_Expose_ **

The first time Katniss talks to Peeta Mellark is under the red glow of the darkroom. Her photography class is crammed into darkroom while the teacher, Cinna, explains the printing procedure. Cinna then asks them to pair up and share an enlarger with a classmate. Before Katniss can even feel panicked that she doesn’t really know anyone in the class, Peeta turns to her and asks her if she wants to be partners. She agrees immediately.

It's not because he’s one of the most popular guys in school and captain of the wrestling team  and defintely not because he’s really cute with amazing blue eyes. She agrees because she knows him better than anyone else in the class, and that’s only because they’ve had a couple classes together in the past.

Besides she can’t even see what color his eyes are in the dim light. They could be the dullest brown for all she can tell in this light.

**_Develop_ **

Peeta likes to talk. He likes to ask her questions as they work. Sometimes when they are doing test strips for their prints, he likes to make her answer before the light timer goes off. She starts asking him questions after a while. Partially because she doesn’t want to be the only one sharing the personal information and partially because she intrigued by him and kind of wants to get to know him better.

A little less than halfway through the semester, they get their first sunny Saturday in a few weeks. Peeta texts her, inviting her to go downtown to take photos for class with him. She agrees and they meet at the train station. He brings baked goods from his father’s bakery, so she insists on buying his fare. They discretely munch on the cheese buns on the train breaking the no food rule because the cheese buns taste best when they are warm.

It’s only a twenty minute ride, but they talk about their classes, their siblings and the upcoming junior spring dance, Morp, where the girls ask the guys. Katniss isn’t sure if she’s going to go, she’s not sure who she’d ask but she lets Peeta talk about the event planning, and how Ms. Trinket is being so picky about the DJ. Peeta tells her that he’s hoping the girl he likes will ask him, but he’s afraid it’s a long shot. Katniss rolls her eyes and tells him she’s sure many girls are thinking about asking him. Before Peeta can respond they reach their stop and the conversation ends there.

They wander through downtown and Katniss takes some pictures of the animal sculptures they have downtown, there are otters, bears and deer. Peeta pulls out his phone and has her take a picture of him riding the deer for a new profile picture. She rolls her eyes but does it anyway. He beams at her when she shows him the picture and throws an arm around her shoulder and they head to the Pearl District. Peeta thinks they’ll have better luck with interesting architecture and lines there. Katniss nods in agreement, but she’s not really sure what he means until they get to an urban park.

On the east edge of the park is a wall made of rail tracks angled to create lots of depth. There’s also a small pond, which is where Katniss starts taking photos. She stops when she notice Peeta finally pick up his camera. He lays down on the ground by the art wall and takes pictures on his belly, then he flips over onto his back. Katniss realizes how artistic Peeta is at that moment, she’s just a point and shoot photographer. She begins to wonder why Peeta asked her to come along. It’s not like she can challenge him to be creative.

Katniss tries to get more creative with her pictures by taking a few shots while crouching and standing on a bench. She’s not sure how they’ll turn out but at least she can tell Cinna she tried something different. Peeta calls her over to the art wall, and asks her to pose for some portraits.

“Should I smile?”

“Just be natural.”

Katniss frowns, she’s not a natural infront of the camera.

Peeta lets out a laugh as he snaps a photo. “Frowning is natural to you?”

Katniss scowls at him. “I’m not photogenic.”

Peeta lowers his camera from his face. “Of course you are. Just relax a little.”

Katniss huffs, straightens her scarf and tries to smile as naturally as she can, but it still feels forced.

“Maybe go back to the frowning,” Peeta jokes making Katniss laugh. She doesn’t even hear the click of the shutter.

After a couple hours of wandering downtown, they head home. Peeta walks Katniss to her car, even though she insists she’s fine. Peeta insists that he’s just doing what he’s been taught to do. He surprises Katniss with a friendly hug and thanks her for a fun morning. Katniss stammers like an idiot when she tells him she had fun too, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

When she gets home she can’t stop smiling and she realizes it wasn’t just today that made her happy. Peeta makes her happy all the time, and not in the way Madge or Gale do. She likes Peeta.

**_Stop Bath_ **

Katniss tries her hardest to ignore her feelings. She has school to worry about. Junior year is the most important year of high school and she’s only halfway through. She doesn’t have time to sit around daydreaming about Peeta Mellark, and wishing he returned her feelings. She _can’t_ like Peeta Mellark.

Of course, her heart won’t listen to her and it beats wildly when he slides into the seat in front of her and flashes her a smile. She can’t help but smile back. Damn her stupid heart. When they go into the darkroom, she swears he stands closer to her than before. Has he always smelled this good? Like boy and cinnamon and dill.  _Stop_ , she chides her heart. No matter how hard she tries, her heart will not listen to her brain.

So when she sees Peeta Mellark talking intimately to Annie Cresta in the hall, her heart squeezes tightly. They’re speaking in low tones and smiling widely at each other. Before they part, Peeta gives Annie a big hug. Oh, well that’s who he was talking about.  Katniss’s brain feels smug and her heart hurts and she doesn’t know how she should feel anymore.

Katniss makes a point to get to photography class early and get started on developing her negatives so she can avoid Peeta for a little while. It doesn’t lasts for long because he needs to develop his film as well. Katniss answers his questions curtly and briefly until he flashes her his patented mega watt smile and asks her if she’s asked anyone to Morp yet. She scowls and tells him no. She’s not going. Peeta looks disappointed for a brief second, probably because he’s on student council and he just wanted to see how many of the juniors would be going, or because he wants to tell her how Annie asked him to the dance. Her heart tries to jump in saying maybe, _just maybe_ , he was disappointed because he wanted her to ask him. But she tells her heart to shut up and she keeps hurting herself. Katniss tries to politely tell him that he’s going to have a great time with Annie Cresta but she’s pretty sure she comes off as slightly bitter.

Peeta scrunches up his face in confusion. But before she can let him disappoint her even more, she asks Cinna for a bathroom pass and quickly leaves the classroom. Her feels for Peeta have to stop. Today.

**_Fixer_ **

Katniss successfully manages to avoid Peeta for the rest of class moving in and out of the darkroom, pretending to ask Cinna questions about her negatives and ducking out of the class the second the bell rings.

Katniss is able to avoid him the next few class periods as well. She comes into class right on time and leaves as soon as class is dismissed.  A couple people in their class are competing in some competition in the Capitol, so it frees up some of the enlargers. She works at the one furthest from Peeta. Out of the corner of her eye, she sometimes thinks she can see Peeta looking at her, but it’s so dark in there, she’s not sure.

A couple days later at the end of English class, a bunch of girls dressed up as mermaids come into the class and have Finnick Odair, the swim team captain, sit at the front of the class as they read a cheesy poem to him. Katniss rolls her eyes, and tries to guess which one of the girls came up with this lame idea. When Katniss finally decides that it must be Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta comes in and shyly asks Finnick to Morp.

Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair? What about Peeta? Poor Peeta.

Katniss thinks of nothing else all through lunch, her history class up until photography. Apparenlty she’s not the only one. She hears everyone buzzing about the mermaid stunt. She studies him while they are in the darkroom and he seems fine. He even is whistling a tune off key. What? Is it possible that he didn’t hear?

Katniss approaches him and lightly touches his arm.

Peeta jerks, “Holy crap, Katniss! You scared me!”

Katniss gives a small smile and apologizes, “Sorry.” Peeta shrugs and goes back to trying to focus his negative on the enlarger. Katniss clears her throat a little, “So… there’s something I think you should know about.”

Peeta looks confused and concerned, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I mean no.” Katniss hesitates, “Anniecrestaaskedfinnickodairtomorp.”

“Yes, and…?”

“You’re not upset?”

“Upset? Why would I be upset? I’m so happy Annie decided to ask Finnick.”

“You are?” Katniss is confused now. “But I thought… you don’t like Annie?”

“No! Annie and Finnick have liked each other for a while and they kept dancing around the issue until now,” Peeta explains. “Wait, so you thought I liked Annie?”

“Well you mentioned you were hoping a girl was going to ask you… and I saw you and Annie hugging in the hall the other day so I just thought…” Katniss has never been so glad for the red glow of the darkroom. No one could see how red her face got.

Peeta gently touches her arm so she will look him in the eye. “Thanks for being so concerned,” he says earnestly. “I’m actually surprised seeing as you haven’t talked to me for like a week.”

Katniss looks away before she replies, “Yeah… I’m sorry. I was just being stupid. Sorry I was such a horrible friend.”

Peeta smiles, “No, you’re not. You’re a good friend.”

“So friends again?” Katniss sticks out her hand.

Peeta gets a look in his eye she can’t quite read it but he takes her hand anyway, “Friends. It’s good to have you back, Everdeen. You should grab your stuff and come hang out with me.”

**_Rinse & Dry_ **

Katniss nervously flits around the darkroom. She fiddles around with the enlarger, waiting for Peeta.

Katniss hears Peeta before she can see him, he has such a noisy walk, she swears she can hear him from a mile away.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. How’s the project coming along?”

“Good. I’m almost done. I have two more prints and I’ll be done. I’m so glad Cinna let me use the darkroom so I can get everything done before class tomorrow.”

“Yeah, that’s nice of him. How can I help you?”

“Um… I have some prints in the rinse bath. Can you pull them out and dry them for me?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Katniss can’t watch, so she turns back towards the enlarger and listens to him walk over to the tray full of prints. She can hear him hang up prints. She has five prints in there. She hears him pull out three and stop. Her hearts starts beating wildly. She’s so nervous she doesn’t hear Peeta come up to her until he touches her arm.

She jumps in surprise.

Peeta laughs, “Sorry, I guess it was my turn to scare you.”

Katniss opens her mouth, but she doesn’t know what to say.

“So… I found this print in the bath. Is this what I think it is?” He shows her the print she made. It’s all black except for the letters morp in white.

“Yeah,” she says slowly. “I figured the girl you wanted hasn’t ask you yet, and you worked so hard putting the dance together, you’d probably want a date. So… this is me asking if you want to go to Morp.”

Peeta laughs again, “Actually, she has asked me.”

Katnss’s heart drops and looks away, “Oh… I’m glad.”

Peeta tugs her arm until she’ll look at him. “She JUST asked me.”

"Oh. OH. I’m glad," Katniss can’t believe it, all this time he was talking about her.

Peeta smiles at her. “Me too. And Katniss, yes I will go to Morp with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year and thanks for reading!


End file.
